Come rain or shine, we’ll all be fine. That might have been the unofficial theme for this weekend’s big FlockFest 2023. With Flock the Block, The Beach Party, and the Flamingo SPLASH Pool Party, all the gatherings seemed to be a great success while dodging the summer Florida rains.
There is no denying that the love of sun and sand and water is what brings many to the area. Well, for Wilton Manors, it’s also for the love of the boys. Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors and other very LGBTQ+ inhabited, friendly, and supportive cities make up the Greater Fort Lauderdale Area just add to the attraction of vacationing here, especially in today’s political climate.
What the Flock is FlockFest?
We mentioned what the Flockfest was in an article last year, When A Gaggle of Gays Turns Into A FlockFest, Charity & Fun Ensues. For those of us that live here, and for those that come to the gay capital of southern Florida, FlockFest has added so much to the local gay festival calendar that all of us are not only enjoying, but benefitting from.
The Beginning of FlockFest was in 2014 when Steven Crawford invited some friends to the beach. “I contacted a bunch of friends for a fun time at the beach, told them to bring swan floats and be prepared for a great time”, Crawford shares. And that is how FlockFest was born.
That first gathering was just a small group of 60 people and 30 floats. Now the event has grown to over 500 floats, 400 VIPs, and several thousand more attendees that participate outside in the event area on the beach.
This Weekend –
As mentioned, this past weekend’s FlockFest’s activities were Flock the Block, The Beach Party, and the Flamingo SPLASH Pool Party at the Easton. Here are a couple of picture galleries of the events. First up is the Pool Party. (Pictures courtesy of
More attendees were at the Beach Party. Once again, pictures courtesy of
The Next Big Thing!
For more information on this and future events, keep an eye on www.flockfestevents.org. Here are more of the upcoming events.
I’ll be visiting the Florida Out Coast Convention (FLOCC) at the beginning of August and hope to meet many more businesses that are not afraid to say they are LGBTQ+ owned or are a strong ally with out community.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA OUT COAST CONVENTIONThe Florida Out Coast Convention (FLOCC) will launch in 2023 as the first and only conference focused on the Florida LGBTQ tourism industry.
There is no denying that it is a critical time in Florida for LGBTQ community members and travelers. Given that travel advisories are on the minds of tourism leaders throughout the country, especially in Florida, there is no better time to FLOCC together. Never before has there been a space for Florida’s tourism and LGBTQ leaders to come together to learn, network and collaborate.
If you’re in the business like I am, I hope to see you there.
Count me in. Sexy gay men everywhere.